Review – Better Man

I’m late to a party I had no intention of attending.

Released right at the beginning of 2025, Better Man—a musical biopic of UK sensation Robbie Williams—was all set to kick off the new year. As an Australian in my mid-30s, I have definitely heard of Robbie’s work. I wouldn’t call myself a fan in the sense that I’ve never intentionally sought out to purchase an album, but I certainly don’t mind his music, and he’s popular enough where it’s hard to get through a day without hearing at least one of his songs on the radio. As I’ve grown up, he has always been like a permanent fixture in the industry (one that might be taken for granted), and it wasn’t terribly surprising to hear the news that someone thought he was worthy enough to create a biopic about his career.

What was surprising was to learn that Americans apparently have never heard of him.

Seriously!?

Every time I think our cultures are more interlinked than ever, there comes another revelation that we’re really quite distinct. It’s certainly not the first time something like this has happened—Searching for Sugar Man is an excellent documentary about a musician that found fame within another country. As the adage goes, America is an exporter of media, not typically an importer, i.e. it’s hard for a foreigner to break into the American market, and when they do, then they’ve “made it”, even though logically America should not be the ultimate arbiter of talent, as is the current case with Robbie Williams.

Nevertheless, Robbie Williams’ lack of love in America has been partly blamed for Better Man’s abysmal box office returns. I was travelling overseas for a large part of January, and by the time I was able to settle down and watch a film in the cinema, Better Man was on its final legs. Only on a whim I decided to watch it… Glad I did.

Guys, this may genuinely be the best musical biopic out there!

Content Guide

Violence/Scary Images: A character drives dangerously while under the influence, evoking images of a car crash. Multiple fantasies of a violent nature; one where a character is seen drowning, another they are killing imaginary figures. Suicidal ideation and self-harm. Depictions of fits of rage.  

Language/Crude Humor: Severe coarse language—you’re lucky to find a scene that doesn’t contain any swear words. The big bad “c word” is said a few times, along with innumerable f-bombs, s-words, and other objectionable vernacular. God’s name is used in vain.  

Drug/Alcohol References: Heavy drug use. Narcotic substances are taken, which eventually becomes an addiction—the film does not portray this in a positive light. A character eventually commits themself into rehab and recovery programs. Frequent consumption of alcohol (to the point of abuse) and cigarette smoking is depicted.

Sexual Content: Occasional nudity; female fans flash their breasts, whilst naked women are seen lying on a bed. A woman gives a man a hand job in a public place, although the camera stays mainly on the face; the action is treated as inappropriate. Sex and the struggles of celibacy are occasionally discussed. Comments on homosexuality—a character remains ambiguous regarding their sexuality, whilst the LGBT community are perceived as a target demographic. One character has an abortion, though this decision has repercussions.

Spiritual Content: The main character questions their life purpose in a rather secular fashion, neither denying or affirming God, though there are references throughout the film. Christian concepts and imagery are utilised, such as the mentioning of angels, heaven, and personal demons. Robbie Williams appears on stage in one scene dangling from an upside-down crucifix.

Other Negative Content: A character is pressured into an abortion. Coworkers are lambasted in a derogatory fashion. Absentee parenting is conducted in a particularly callous manner. Fame is viewed as the only way to achieve a purposeful existence (although the pitfalls of that perspective is explored). Envy is frequently on display.

Positive Content: The film takes a brutal and honest look at the price of fame and how it is not ultimately satisfying for the soul. It tackles the importance of self-esteem, and how our perception of ourselves is intertwined with our desire to love and be loved in return. When a character goes through rehab for addiction, the power of forgiveness and acknowledgement of past wrongs are portrayed.

Review

The film industry has been awash with musical biopics lately. It’s a curious little subgenre. They operate like a traditional biographical narrative, highlighting the major points in a musician’s career, but they have the added benefit of including their work as the film’s soundtrack, quickly morphing its documentarian approach into something more akin to a musical. I’ve been fairly critical of films of this ilk in the past—sometimes I wonder whether the film itself is actually good, or whether audiences are simply having a good time just listening to the performer’s greatest hits with a loose narrative attached. I’m looking at you, Bohemian Rhapsody!

But while these films might be able to fluff their way through with their popular tunes, a larger problem that’s quickly emerging is that a lot of them tell a very similar tale. A down-on-their-luck underdog with big dreams gets a lucky break, finds success, discover it’s not all what they intended, fall victim to their vices, and eventually pull themselves together to become the person/group that we all know and love today. That’s the gist of most of them. Indeed, that’s also the plot of Better Man, and yet it manages to be the best despite presenting most of this subgenre’s standard tropes.

With a film like this dropping every couple of months these days, it can be hard to stand out from the rest. I’m beginning to notice that bolder creative choices are being made, or rather, gimmicks are being adopted. Rocket Man utilised fantasy, Elvis opted to tell the story from the antagonist’s view, while Piece by Piece went with LEGO. Better Man’s most controversial creative decision is that Robbie Williams is depicted as a CGI ape. Is it just a gimmick? Well, if it was intended to be, it has backfired. Usually, gimmicks are used as a method to hook an audience, but in this case, it seems to have put viewers off. Essentially, the trailer had too much to accomplish—it had to explain why there was a CGI ape, who it was, along with what this film is actually about, and unfortunately the latter is too nuanced to convey under the weight of the bizarre creative decision of the former.

But once you’ve viewed Better Man, it’s easy to appreciate the accuracy of the trailer. Robbie Williams is portrayed as an ape because that is how he sees himself. There’s a lot of depth and symbolism behind the choice due to several colloquial connotations: “dirty ape”, “monkeying around”, “an animal”, and so forth, and Robbie Williams is the type of performer that has always said that he feels lesser than, subhuman, primitive, and unevolved. The symbolism can also work the opposite way, where Williams is unable to appreciate just how special he truly is.

The trailer is accurate because this is what the film is actually about. The central conflict of the movie is Robbie Williams’ view of himself; his self esteem issues, debilitating imposter syndrome and negative thoughts. Robbie Williams is both the protagonist and antagonist. What this means is that the story focusses heavily on an internal conflict, as opposed to something external. Because of this, Better Man rises above other films in this subgenre for two main reasons.

The first is that Better Man manages to dodge the biggest pitfalls that seem to plague other musician adaptations. There is a tendency for these types of movies to run out of steam at the midpoint of the story. If the film, like Better Man, decides to focus on the person’s entire career and not just a small portion of it, generally once the central figure has reached their celebrity status, the story suddenly needs to pivot its conflict. With the plot no longer being about them needing to believe in themselves, or finding fame, the narrative instead typically makes a hard right turn into an external conflict, like addictions, familial breakdowns, or LGBTIQ+ issues. While Better Man contains those elements, the concept that he sees himself as an ape is the story’s throughline, so no matter the external narrative devices, the internal conflict still drives the entire piece underneath it all, generating a more cohesive work of cinema. Robbie Williams being an ape is the central theme and is the lens through which we view all his external conflict.

The second reason why Williams being an ape is actually an inspired choice that causes Better Man to punch above its weight, is to do with practicality. Since the protagonist is a CGI figure, it resolved the dilemma of trying to cast actors that could pass as the superstar. It’s all motion capture and voice work only. It also meant that Robbie Williams didn’t need to try his hand at acting either. This all leads to Robbie Williams operating as a narrator. It adds a personal touch that a lot of other biopics don’t have, to the extent that Better Man operates more as an autobiography. The performer is notorious for being a straight shooter in regards to his thoughts and opinions, not holding back, causing his narration to feel incredibly raw, honest, and vulnerable. It goes hand in hand with the narrative’s heavy leaning into portraying internal conflict, with the film feeling untainted from a third party’s perspective despite that not really being the case.

Better Man contains all the tropes you may have seen in other musical biopics, but this film takes them to an elevated level. Songs from Robbie Williams’ repertoire are sprinkled throughout the movie, but when used in conjunction with his narration and internalised drama, the musical interludes don’t feel like something shoved in to entertain audiences, rather it feels like that moment of his life is what inspired the song, almost as though we’re bearing witness to some behind the scenes commentary, or offered a rare insight into his creative world. For instance, “Feel” isn’t just a banger of a song, within the context of the movie, it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

The presence of the CGI ape gives the film permission to be fanciful and whimsical, allowing the story to dip further into symbolism when needed. Scenes can shift and distort as time bleeds together, while the imagination can spill out to represent euphoria or despair. It all helps the pacing of the film, where once again, the songs are utilised to the best of their ability, fulfilling what musical numbers should do: represent the current emotional state. Better Man doesn’t do a lot of new things or try to reinvent the wheel, rather it just nails everything it sets out to accomplish. “Rock DJ” is a blast, with cinematography and choreography rivalling some of the best musical numbers seen in film history. Meanwhile, “She’s the One” feels like it’s pulling straight from the emotional playbook of both La La Land and Up.

Let’s also note that the CGI of the ape itself is pretty good. So good, in fact, that the film has earned an Oscar nod for its visual effects. It might be a distant contender compared to the competition (one of which being Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which features multiple apes…), and the Planet of the Apes franchise might have a hand as to why the CGI of primates is so advanced, but one does have to question why on earth Better Man features more competent CGI than most major Hollywood blockbusters these days.

The film’s flaws are few and far between. There are some events that are a little unclear, mostly because they are presented within a musical montage. But there are also some issues with the film’s thematic conclusion. Trying to avoid spoilers, the idea that Robbie Williams sees himself as an unevolved creature means the film can end with one of two outcomes: either he learns self-love and begins to see himself how we see him, or he continues to view himself through this lens. I’m personally on the fence as to whether the strongest narrative choice was selected. Then, of course, there’s the issue once again of using a CGI ape, a creative decision that some have said they didn’t enjoy, as they found it hard to emotionally connect to the main character, and would have preferred the more traditional approach of hiring a look-alike actor. I personally didn’t experience this issue, where after the first scene I got used to the concept, and firmly believe it’s what makes Better Man thematically strong.

Though it seems the production’s biggest barrier is people’s hesitation to view the film if they are not familiar with Robbie Williams. As someone only loosely familiar with his work and completely ignorant about his personal history and life story, I found I wasn’t hindered by my lack of knowledge. Better Man does a fantastic job at taking the audience along for the ride, no prior experience necessary. Although, Robbie Williams’ past also intermingles with that of the boy band Take That, the girl band All Saints, and also Oasis (Liam Gallagher in particular). It’s a bonus if you already know about them and it only adds to the enjoyment of the film, but it’s not as though you’re at a distinct disadvantage if you don’t.

But let’s be honest here—how many viewers in a younger generation really knew much about Elton John before watching Rocket Man? Or the Beatles or Queen? Pharrell Williams isn’t exactly world renown, whilst other non-American countries managed to endure Hamilton. Whenever a new musical comes out, or even just a Disney film, you don’t know the songs or story prior to release. What I’m saying is this: please, please, please don’t let your lack of knowledge about Robbie Williams become a barrier to watching Better Man. I cannot state this enough! It’s like The Greatest Showman (same director, by the way), where even though you may not have known about the history behind the main character beforehand, you would have left the cinema entertained regardless, with a new arsenal of banger hits. There are so many layers and beautifully interwoven themes throughout Better Man, especially with the story taking on Ecclesiastical overtones where a man tries to find happiness in other things but deep down only truly desires the love of his father.

Better Man is honestly as good as I can envision this subgenre can get, barring any wild reimagining of the classic musical biopic tropes. It’s the first film in a long while that I have actually contemplated buying in hardcopy. That’s why it’s so distressing to see such a high standard of film fail so spectacularly at the box office, as this movie really doesn’t deserve such a fate. Others have commented that the film’s reception is yet another layer to the story—a meta commentary of the underdog status of such an underappreciated performer. It all only adds to the film’s thematic impact.